Alleged dagga dealers were among at least 278 suspects arrested by the City’s enforcement agencies in the last seven days. Read more below:

The City of Cape Town’s Metro Police Department arrested 81 suspects in the last week – 40 of them for drug-related offences.

In an operation in Delft on Thursday 23 June 2016, officers rounded up 12 suspects for possession of dagga and confiscated large quantities of the drug, including 36 plastic bags and nearly 150 parcels. Other arrests included possession of illegal ammunition and dangerous weapons and drunk driving – one of them a motorist who was collared in Delft after colliding with a Metro Police vehicle. Continue reading →

The buyer is partnering with Royal Bafokeng Holdings, a South African empowerment investment group, which has committed to taking a 30% stake in Neotel, according to a statement from Mumbai-based Tata Communications, which acquired a controlling stake in Neotel in 2009.

The deal gives Econet wireless spectrum and broadband access to South African businesses and homes and gives businesses across the continent access to 40 000 kilometers (25 000 miles) of cross-border fiber networks, according to an e-mailed statement from Liquid Telecom. Econet, founded and run by Strive Masiyiwa, controls Africa-focused Internet provider Liquid Telecom and mobile-phone company Econet Wireless Zimbabwe.

“We’ll also be increasing investments into Neotel to cater for rapidly accelerating mobile and enterprise traffic,” Nic Rudnick, Liquid Telecom chief executive officer, said in the statement.

The City of Cape Town would like to inform residents to be on the lookout for a scam artist posing as a City of Cape Town employee.

The City has received at least three reports from Milnerton, Claremont and Rondebosch of residents being fleeced of thousands of rands by a person claiming to represent the City as part of an electricity and/or water meter upgrade project. The person further indicates that pensioners are being prioritised for the upgrades and makes them part with significant amounts of cash on the premise that his colleagues will arrive the following day to complete the work.

The City can assure the public that the modus operandi described does not conform with our processes. Our field staff do not handle cash – all such transactions are done at the City’s customer centres or via the appropriate electronic channels.

While the City is currently rolling out an electricity meter replacement programme, the planned replacements are free. Each replacement has a notification number on our internal systems which the City call centre can verify should a resident enquire. In addition, we do targeted marketing and mailbox drops of any planned work to be carried out in an area. Continue reading →

by Sébastien BLANC The US Supreme Court on Monday struck down a Texas law restricting access to abortion, handing a major victory to the “pro-choice” camp in the country’s most important ruling on the divisive issue in a generation.

Crowds of passionate activists from both sides of the debate shed tears of joy and dismay outside the court over the closely-watched decision, which has far-reaching implications for millions of women across the United States.

The black-robed justices ruled by 5-3 to strike down the Texas measures which activists say have forced more than half of abortion clinics to close in the second most-populous US state, with the conservative-leaning Anthony Kennedy siding with his four liberal colleagues on the bench.

President Barack Obama joined civil rights activists and women’s health providers in hailing a milestone for abortion rights, with the issue now set to be thrust center stage in the White House race.

“Every woman has a constitutional right to make her own reproductive choices. I’m pleased to see the Supreme Court reaffirm that fact today,” Obama tweeted.

“I’m all about life and love and babies,” said Nita Amar, a 63-year-old labor and delivery nurse. “But if women lose access to abortion rights, they’re going to go back to the alleys and use coat hangers again.”

JOHANNESBURG – We’re in uncharted territory. Friday’s jaw-dropping news – that the British public had a day earlier voted to leave the European Union (EU) by a 1.9% margin – sent markets into an immediate tailspin, as analysts from across the globe offered educated guesses as to what the longer-term implications of this monumental decision will be for the world economy.

The truth, however, is that nobody knows.

“The problem is, we don’t know what it means, we don’t really know. We’re all stabbing at things…,” deputy chairman at Sasfin Securities, David Shapiro, was honest enough to admit.

Dozens of media reports quote experts warning that Britain will almost certainly slip into recession off the back of its decision, particularly if it loses, among others, the easy access to European markets that it has enjoyed for the past 43 years.

London losing its status as a global financial centre, and the decline in income, jobs and property prices that will follow; sustained pound weakness; and a response by the Bank of England to slash interest rates to zero while introducing quantitative easing, are some of the other suggested outcomes of this vote.

It is with great sadness that I have learnt of the passing of one of our county’s dear sons, Adam Small in the early hours of this morning.

As a writer and poet, Small used his craft to highlight the oppression suffered by the working class under the apartheid regime.

His works and writing were distinctly characterised by the Kaaps vernacular which he discovered when his family moved to Retreat.

In Small’s poetry collections “Kitaar My Kruis and “Sê Sjibbolet” he criticised apartheid policies and racial discrimination while he also used his writing as a weapon in the struggle to free his people.

Last year I honoured to open a production and sit next to Adam Small and listen to some of his famous pieces, “Kô Lat Ons Sing” and “Oos Wes Tuis Bes Distrik Ses”.

Many years after he had written those pieces, his words and the emotions were still so vivid and touching.

In 2011, the City of Cape Town conferred the Civic Honours on Adam Small for his everlasting contribution towards Afrikaans literature.

His passing will undoubtedly leave a great void in our country’s cultural and literary landscape.

On behalf of the City of Cape Town, I extend my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Adam Small.

We pray for strength and comfort during your time of bereavement.

Rest in peace Adam Small. We will always remember you for your great contribution to literature and the struggle.

Warren Whiteley (No 8) and Ruan Combrinck (wing) will make their first starts for the Springboks in the deciding third Test against Ireland in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.

The inclusion of these two players are the only changes to the starting team announced by Springbok coach Allister Coetzee for the third Castle Lager Incoming Series Test against the Irish in the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. Coetzee also made three changes to the bench.

Whiteley replaces the experienced Duane Vermeulen, who is out with an elbow injury, while Combrinck, man of the match in last week’s win over the Irish in Johannesburg, gets the starting nod over Lwazi Mvovo, who is now on the bench.

An ankle injury has ruled out prop Trevor Nyakane, and his place amongst the reserves is filled by the uncapped Steven Kitshoff. He is joined on the bench by another uncapped player, Jaco Kriel, who comes into the match day squad for the first time during the series. Continue reading →